“The beat goes on” on September 5 in San Francisco, where Apple will hold a “special event” presumably to introduce new iPods.

As usual, Apple avoided directly stating what’s on tap, but the use of the Cover Flow album artwork and Apple’s latest iPod ads rather heavily suggests that we’re in store for an iPod/iTunes-related event. Ars Technica reported last week that Apple was planning an event for the 5th, and several reports have surfaced in recent weeks implying that Apple’s about to refresh its iPod lineup.